-
Criminal Law Amendment Act 1855Criminal Law Amendment Act criminalised all homosexual acts, including those in private. By the 1950's over 1,000 men per year were being detained under this Act.
-
John Wolfenden Born 1906John Wolfenden, born 26 June 1906.
-
Wolfenden University of Reading 1950John Wolfenden became Vice Chancellor of the University of Reading between 1950 - 1964. Responsible for the Wolfenden Report, he also wrote two books Family Affair and The Steele Age.
-
Report Committee Assembled 1954Lord John Wolfenden appointed to lead the Departmental Committee on Homosexual Offences and Prostitution, made up of doctors, MPs, lawyers, ministers of religion and a total of three women.
Together they are tasked to re-evaluate the criminalisation of Homosexual Offences and Prostitution in Britain. -
Wolfenden Report Released 1957A three year investigation, including the review of over 200 testimonies from homosexuals and representatives of professional bodies.
The report recommended, “that homosexual behaviour between consenting adults in private be no longer a criminal offence”.
The first 5,000 printed copies of the report sold out within hours, gaining significant public interest.
Read More >The Work of Leo Abse 1965MP Leo Abse was responsible for challenging social issues avoided in mainstream politics such as homosexuality, divorce and capital punishment.
Attempts to implement Wolfenden's recommendations in 1958 and 1964 failed to gain support from Labour Government.
In 1966 Leo Abse sponsored the Sexual Offences Bill, as a private members bill. The bill passed, but with many damaging compromises.
Read More >Sexual Offences Act 1967The Sexual Offences act decriminalised homosexual acts in private, between "consenting men aged over 21 and over".
The Act was designed offer gay men more rights, however prosecutions for homosexual behaviour trebled in the decade to follow.
Read More >Stonewall Riots 1969During June 1969, police raided the Stonewall Inn - a popular LGBT bar in New York City. They arrested 13 people. The patrons of the bar fought against the brutality, leading to six days of protests.
The riots are often referred to the Stonewall Rebellion, serving as a catalyst for gay rights organisations leading to the formation of many prominent rights organisations.
Read More >Section 28 Local Government Act 1988During the 1980's Margaret Thatcher's heavily conservative Government were in power. Fuelled by the AIDs epidemic, it gave voice to scaremongering and false accusations against the gay community.
A controversial amendment of the Local Government Act 1988 stipulated that "shall not intentionally promote homosexuality or publish material with the intention of promoting homosexuality".Age of Consent Change 1994The age of consent for gay couples is lowered from 21 to 18.Armed Forces Ban 2000Before 2000, being gay in the armed forces was seen as "incompatible" with military life "because of the close physical conditions in which personnel often have to live and work".
To be found to be gay in the armed forces would have resulted in dishonourable discharge. However, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) deemed this a breach of human rights.
The ban was lifted in January 2000.Age of Consent Change 2001The age of consent for gay couples is lowered from 18 to 16 to match heterosexual couples.Section 28 Abolished 2003Section 28 of the Local Government Act, banning promotion of homosexuality in schools is abolished in Scotland, and for the rest of the United Kingdom in 2003.Civil Partnerships Approved 2004Under Tony Blair's Labour government, the Civil Partnerships Act 2004 was passed, allowing couples to recognise their relationships as a union.
The Civil Partnership Act offered additional legal protections to couples including tax breaks, legal rights during death, and access to inheritance.
Over 140,000 couples have entered in to a Civil Partnership Act since 2004.
Read More >Equal Marriage Bill 2013 2013The Marriage (Same Sex Couple) Bill 2013 allows same-sex couples to:
1. Marry in civil ceremonies and marry in religious ceremonies, where the religious organisation has 'opted in' to conduct such ceremonies and the minister of religion agrees
2. Convert an existing Civil Partnership to a marriage
3. Change their legal gender without having to end their marriage.
Read More >
